Dropbox was one of the first providers to establish cloud storage. But is the veteran still up-to-date in price, security, and speed? This article will analyze the functionality of this software and how it is used in business.
What is Dropbox?
The problem of free hard disk space worries many PC users, and each finds his solution. Of course, you can get external hard drives, flash drives, and other gadgets, but it is much more suitable and even more profitable from a financial point of view to use cloud storage for storing information. Dropbox is exactly that “cloud,” and it has many useful features in its arsenal.
Dropbox is an information store that allows you to store data in a virtual cloud. The saved data can be accessed from any device by logging into your personal account. The vault syncs documents and any changes made in real-time. You can host up to 2 GB of your data for free. It is a very convenient and fast way to work with large amounts of information.
The program is integrated into the operating system and is a regular folder, with only one difference – all the elements added to it are instantly uploaded to the cloud. Also, the application integrates into the context menu, so you can conveniently and quickly send any file to this storage.
The advantages of using Dropbox
Dropbox software solution ensures the following capabilities for its users:
- Collaboration
Dropbox can be used to collaborate on projects by simply sharing a folder or files and sharing a link to them with those you plan to work with. There are two options – create a new “shared” folder or make an existing one.
- Offline access
Given the fact that Dropbox’s entire operation is based on sync, which, as you know, requires an Internet connection, it would be foolish to be left without the desired content in case of Internet problems. That is why the developers of this product took care of the possibility of offline access to data. Such data will be stored on the device and in the cloud to be available anytime.
- Cross-platform
Speaking of permanent access to added files, one cannot fail to mention such a nice feature of Dropbox as its cross-platform. Today, cloud software can be installed on almost any desktop or mobile operating system device.
- Security
Apart from the owner of the Dropbox account, no one has access to the data and files stored in the cloud, except for shared folders. However, all data entering this cloud storage is transmitted over a secure SSL channel with 256-bit encryption.
- Permanent access to data from any device
As already mentioned, files added to the Dropbox folder on a PC are instantly uploaded to the cloud (synchronized). So, you can access them from any device on which the program will be installed, or the web version of this cloud storage will be launched.
Dropbox – a good alternative to the data room
The trend toward distributed working also means that effective collaboration with external parties often feels opaque, and there is less feedback. The data room allows customers to see what happens to their documents after they send them – adding an extra layer of deep, analytical insight to Dropbox, with its reach and scalability as a content platform. For example, customer service or creative teams that rely on Dropbox to collaborate and organize presentations and projects can use the data room to send quotes and understand how their business partners engage with the documents they send.